Does SMH10 support battery replacement?

SMH10 does come with extended battery life. If battery comes to end of life after extended use, we may be able to offer you battery replacement kit or service center battery replacement. The Battery can be charged and discharged 500 ~600 times, which is good for 3+ years under normal use.

58 Comments

"we may be able to offer you battery replacement kit or service center battery replacement."

This seems like a rather vague promise. Under what conditions will it be possible to replace the battery after 3 years. I'm switching brands because my last brand expects me to dump the whole set and buy a new one after the batter in the master went bad. REALLY?

No kidding, that was a very non-answer. I was about to order a set of SMH-10's but did a quick googl check on replacement batteries and found this. I had a coupon code that expires at the end of today, but since I don't know if the battery is USER replaceable I am going to skip the Sena for now.

Why can't manufacturers get it through their head that electronics are NOT disposable simply because the battery needs replaced?

"...Why can't manufacturers get it through their head that electronics are NOT disposable simply because the battery needs replaced?..."

OMG, tell that to TomTom about their "cage" GPS units. I'm on my third replacement due to battery issues. Off topic, I know - but maybe not, 'cos i've found that Sena DO listen to ideas and suggestions. That's why I have faith that they'll come up with a battery replacement option within the lifetime of the current SMH10 models, which are only a year or so old right now. I also just noticed the new SMH10R (http://www.senabluetooth.com/products/smh10r.php?tab_menu=overview#), which looks as though it has a separate battery pack that is disconnectable and, thus, replaceable...

Hmm, I haven't bought the SMH10 yet - and reading this about not being able to replace the battery myself …One shouldn't really buy stuff where you can't even replace the battery.Sena, why do you built it this way ???

I am offering a battery replacement service on the SMH10 units . The Li-ion battery I use has 20% more mAh capacity (700 compared to the original of 560), and requires NO internal modifications to your unit. We are getting 14+ hours of talk time from our upgraded batteries. Your current charging method works 100% with this new battery. Cost of this service is $45.00 plus return shipping of approx $6.00 (US ONLY). Turn around time is about 2 weeks. ncpatriotrider@gmail.com

I received a partial shipment (7 batteries) of replacement Sena SMH-10 batteries today. These batteries are equal too, or have a greater mAh capacity of the original SMH-10 battery. In other words, these batteries will operate your SMH-10 as long, or longer, as when it was new.

I can sell just the battery (and you do the work) or I can do the work.

For those who wish to do the work themselves, no modification to the Sena SMH-10 is required. Li-Po technology is advancing rapidly, the actual physical size of the replacement battery is slightly smaller than the Sena original.

My SMH10 lasted 3 years and the battery is toast. For a unit that is only used for 3 month riding seasons, and that has never had anywhere near 200 charge discharges, I am extremely unhappy with the purchase. The lack of insight by Sena regarding battery replacement, and the short lifespan of the product makes Sena nothing more than a land fill contributor. I was going to write the unit off and buy the new 20S so the guys I ride with will still be able to communicate with me but the thought of opening my wallet to Sena every 3 years and enabling them to keep falling short of the mark is not very inviting. If GoPro and Drift can have replacable batteries in a small package (and have great water proof ratings) there is no reason why Sena can not do the same, unless the enjoy taking advantage of their customers and creating replacement sales. I was so pissed with the unit last Saturday that I tore it from my helmet and threw to the road. Sena = Junk

Here is something you might try. Take your Sena to Batteries Plus if there is one in your area. They replace just about every kind of battery known in the USA. They will even open your power tool battery packs and replace them. They recently got into replacing cell phone batteries. Not saying they can do Sena, but what does it hurt to check it out. Batteries Plus is a pretty cool place. I purchase all my batteries there for my cell phones, watches, power tools, motorcycle, and so on. If you can't replace your Sena battery anyway and your warranty has run out, can't hurt to give them a try. I just purchased my new Sena 110, and I like it after a bad experience with BLINQ headset which has no customer support. If guy on this page can do it, then Batteries Plus can do it.

I wish I had read some of these posts before getting my SMH10 (which was a gift with no reciept). One of my units was dead from the factory. With absolutly the worst customer service I have ever dealt with. I finally decided to take the unit apart and Try to diagnose the problem which is a defective battery. This was new in the box unit.

I am trying to locate a replacement battery to atleast get some use out of these units. I will not personally purchase another Sena product.

Howard, you'll have difficulty with most companies without a receipt. Normally warranty claims are through the dealer, and you probably don't even know where the unit was purchased? I had good warranty replacement of a faulty SMH10 from my dealer. Their warranty period is 2 years, which is unusually long for electronics.

WRT the battery, it is strange that Sena aren't more useful. When I need to replace batteries in my 2 units, I don't expect to have too much trouble sourcing an appropriately sized replacement from China.

If you don't buy any more SMH10 units, you'll be missing out on some of the better features of the system, like simultaneous conversation with up to 4 people. -Though the pairing and connecting procedure is a bit of a pain. Sena could do better there. The units have their software hiccups, but generally they perform well. It gets a bit worse when using them with an SR10 unit. More room for software strangeness, but I am able to use my CB with the headset, if with a few glitches.

Despite this excellent forum, I don't think Sena take much notice of user feedback. -Witness the total lack of useful response to this thread. I'd like to think that I could tell them about odd things that happen with my Sena setup, and they'd do something useful with the info, given that they do fairly frequent firmware updates. But there seems to be no avenue for that.

602248

The battery on the SMH10 is super easy to change...you can do it in less than 5 minutes. My SMH10 is 3+ yrs old and wasn't holding a charge for more than about 6 hours which is very annoying when you're out on a day long ride. I searched several different websites/forums for a replacement battery, repair etc but really couldn't find any good info. I decided to email Sena directly to see if they would sell me a battery....go figure. I got a response in less than 2 days and the customer service rep offered to send me a replacement battery at no charge! Way to go Sena!!

I received the battery a few days later, installed it in less than 5 min(biggest challenge was finding the right size head for the screws on the back of the unit) and I'm up and running again.

I can't speak to others experience, but my SMH10 unit was 6 months out of warranty when I had intermittent shut-down problems. Rep I spoke with felt it was probably a battery problem and sent a new one at no charge. opened the unit up and found that one of the original battery leads had been pinched during assembly causing it to fail.

Courteous service, replacement battery at no charge, all out of warranty, and only cost me 10 minutes of my time to install..... I'm happy.

Looks like they have changed their policy. I just got this reply from them:

Hai, Jun 11, 2:15 PM:

Woody,

Generally, if the unit is under warranty you would send it and and we replace the whole main unit, not just the battery. But you mentioned it's been past two years, so you will need to purchase replacement units.

As specified in the User's Guide, "This product has an irreplaceable rechargeable battery inside. "

Regards, Hai

Hai, Jun 11, 3:55 PM:

It is on page 51 of the SMH10 v 5.1 manual, under "Battery" section. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Regards, Hai

Well, I am disappointed in them. I will find and replace these batteries, and not brag on Sena anymore. They did work well until the battery issues. Since some riders have opened and fixed theirs, it is doable, and Sena should be there to HELP us. Not by offering to sell more units. Woody

It's possible to replace the battery in the field. The initial investment is simple: soldering pencil and /rosin core/ solder (never, ever use acid core for any wiring!), wire strippers for fine gauge wire, T7 Torx driver. I found a T7 Torx bit in a $6 USD collection of small flat blade, phillips, etc. bits and handle from Lowe's. The electrical stuff should be there, too. Or there's always Amazon or eBay. The battery can be found on eBay for under $10 USD. Use the 602448 number as the guide. It'll be a 3.7V Li-Po battery. Do /not/ go for a bigger battery - there is almost no spare room inside the SMH-10.

Opening the case is easy: undo the screws with the Torx driver and gently encourage the back to come out of the SMH-10 housing. Do not try prying with anything - ding the case and the SMH-10 case won't have a hope of keeping out water. There is a gasket around the edge of the back of the SMH-10. Be nice to it as it's the water seal.

Here's the bad news: the new battery will not have the little while Molex connector the OEM battery does. You have to cut the connector off (in the middle of the wiring, of course) and solder it onto the new battery. This isn't difficult but it helps to be comfortable with soldering before doing this job. With the wires soldered and insulated (hint: stagger the cuts so the joints can short out), put the battery in place and close up the case. It's that simple.

Another do-not: Do not grease the seal with petroleum jelly (Vaseline, etc.)! Use a silicon-based grease (di-electric grease will do - get some at an auto parts store).

Finally: OPENING THE CASE VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY!!! But if you're good with soldering, and don't want to either wait for a repair or buy a replacement module, this is the way to go.

My SMH10-11 stopped working while I was on a trip in West Virginia. I rode trhough a heavy rain storm and when I tried to power the unit the next day it was dead and would not take the charge. When I got home I tried to charge it again and several times the unit was blinking "purple" (red and blue at the same time). After another couple of days it is now showing the blue light after a charge but dies overnight. Sent Sena helpdesk a query and I am now waiting for an eventual answer. I am a bit upset as I bought the unit less than a year ago and added over the last year several clamps to be able to use it on different helmets. Hope Sena is standing by its products.

Sena doesn't claim the SMH10 is waterproof or rain resistant. The unit got wet on the inside. The good news is that rain is mostly fresh water (maybe more salt along the coast - salt is Not Good for electrical stuff). A general desperation move for wet electronics is to toss the unit in a bag of rice (honest!) so the unit's completely surrounded by rice. Rice will soak up a lot of moisture.

If the unit takes a charge but then doesn't work in the morning (is that what you mean by "dies overnight"? - it helps to be specific about what happens), it's possible the battery saw strange things happening while there was moisture in the case. You've got two options: beg and plead with Sena, or try to sort the problem out locally

For Plan B: 1) charge up the battery as usual. Disconnect it from the charger but leave the SMH10 on. Eventually the battery will discharge and the SMH10 will go dark. Try recharging the battery and seeing how long the SM?H10 runs now. LiPo batteries can get funny when they're discharged as may have happened in your case. OR...

You can find a T7 bit and open the case (at that point the warranty is toast). Gently warm the interior with a hair drier. That should clear any residual moisture. Try charging the SMH10 again. You don't need to close the case if you're gentle with the microUSB connector. Still no luck? Replace the battery or find someone to do it (maybe a "ham" or amateur radio operator, or maybe a computer repair shop).

Or, as suggested, harass Sena into bailing you out (as it were). But I suspect that rain or water damage won't make them happy. But, hey, I could be wrong. I thought it happened once, but I was mistaken. [/wink]

Yes, by "dies overnight" this is exactly what I mean. Even if I switch it off, it won't switch back the next morning. I am in the process of going through the first stage of Plan B, hoping that the unit will get back some of its charging power and will keep the load (I saw this happening with a GPS that got wet also).

If this doens't work and Sena still turns a deaf ear, I have a replacement battery on its way from China and I'll void the warranty. Nothing to loose anyway.

OK, not looking good for the battery, then. LiPo's are choosey about recovering. Anyway, plan on replacing the battery. BTW, how much did you pay for it?

Sena, to be fair, isn't likely to do a warranty replacement - it's that rain thing, y'know. But stranger things have happened.

To be clear, I'm not an apologist for Sena. There are too many things they've done (or not) that annoy me. Like the business of not locking side tone on to allow talking with people standing near you (toll takers, gas pump people, cops [/whoops]). Look at how long we've been after them for this little item and almost no acknowledgement at all. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!